The digital workplace is the modern equivalent of the traditional office. Where employees once gathered in central hubs to collaborate, the rise of remote and hybrid work, along with shifting employee expectations, has made the digital workplace the new norm.
Driven by digital tools and platforms, the digital workplace enables employees to work, collaborate, and communicate from anywhere, maximizing technology to support productivity, efficiency, and flexibility.
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Digital workplace services are the tools and systems organizations have in place to enable remote and hybrid working.
Key components for any digital workplace will include:
These tools support basic digital enablement, providing people with the means to log in, communicate, and complete tasks. In a hybrid or remote environment, they're non-negotiable.
Employee engagement used to be about coffee breaks and team socials, but when organizations transform to fully digital operations, it reshapes how we interact and engage with one another. It doesn't automatically improve or harm engagement, but we need to give it some thought.
Every effective solution can come with unintended consequences. Before developing a digital HR strategy for transformation, it's essential to understand what to look out for and how changes may impact employee engagement along the way.
Humans thrive on social connection. In a physical office, this happens naturally, but in a digital environment, it needs to be intentional.
That might look like:
When you're not physically present, it's harder to seek the clarity often needed.
Clarity in a digital environment might look like:
One of the biggest benefits of digital work is the freedom it offers.
Engaged employees are often those who feel trusted to work in ways that suit them.
In digital environments, it's easy for people to feel like cogs in a machine.
It's important to show that you care.
If we consider all of the above, it's easy to see that digital workplace services mainly focus on access and enablement, ensuring the mechanics of work are in place.
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They don't address the more emotional or personalized elements of the employee experience, such as how supported someone feels during a transition or how easily they can get help in moments of need; however, while digital workplace services aren't built specifically for employee experience, they do play a minor supporting role:
While the digital workplace transformation starts with enablement, providing employees with access to basics like email, video calls, and file sharing, the employee experience digital transformation is much wider.
It begins with the employee.
It's shaped by how easily they can get things done, how supported they feel, and how connected they are to their work and each other.
Instead of thinking of tools in isolation, organizations are beginning to view the digital workplace as an ecosystem—a connected landscape of human resources tools, digital services, intranets, HR virtual assistants, HR service delivery, employee engagement, and survey tools.
A single tool can help someone complete a task. But an ecosystem can support an entire journey, whether it's onboarding, accessing benefits, managing development, or seeking feedback.
For example:
A new hire journey isn't just about receiving a laptop; it's also about how easily they can access policies, connect with their manager, and understand their goals.
The more connected these touchpoints are, the more seamless and satisfying the employee experience becomes.
This is where employee experience solutions, such as Applaud, can fit into the digital workplace.
Features like knowledge management surface relevant support information, helping employees self-serve without needing to search through outdated documents.
Virtual HR assistants and AI-powered support can provide instant answers to everyday questions, reducing the reliance on HR for routine queries and saving time on both sides.
When a more personal touch is needed, case management ensures that queries are tracked, assigned, and resolved efficiently, connecting people to the right support without anything being missed.
Employee journeys guide individuals through key milestones, such as onboarding, parental leave, or internal moves, while gently prompting managers to check in, schedule welcome meetings, or organize team introductions.
These small, thoughtful actions make a big difference in helping people feel supported and connected.
At the centre of it all, a modern HR portal can act as a single point of entry, unifying systems, signposting services, and simplifying access with quick links and integrated tools. And because it's cloud-based, the experience stays consistent whether someone's at home, in the office, or on the move.
The digital workplace has come a long way from simply replicating the office online. While basic tools are the foundation for keeping things running, they're just the starting point.
Real digital transformation begins when we design these environments with people in mind, connecting tools, journeys, and services in ways that feel intuitive, human, and supportive.
By treating the digital workplace as an ecosystem, we can move beyond enablement to create experiences that truly support employees throughout their day-to-day and across the moments that matter most. It's not just about making work possible; it's about how employees feel about work.
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Michelle Donnelly is a technical writing manager with nearly twenty years of experience in design, communication, training, and enablement. She brings a unique blend of creativity and clarity to technical writing, product enablement, and customer education, ensuring that complex information is both accessible and engaging.